Planning Visit to the National Institute of Materials Science, Japan; To Establish Collaborative Research on Nanoscale Adsorption of Amyloid Beta Peptides

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The PI's research group at the State University of New York College at Geneseo discovered that the alpha-beta coated gold metal colloid exhibits a quasi-repetitive color change between pH 4 and pH 10, in which a short-lived intermediate of the self assembly created only at an interfacial condition was involved. In this collaborative project, the conformation of alpha-beta aggregates binding to the functionalized gold colloid surface will be directly investigated by utilizing high-resolution transmission electric microscopy at Japan's National Institute of Materials Science, in order to directly clarify the structure at a nanometer scale. This study will answer 1) why the observed pH induced quasi-reversible process takes place only for 20 nm gold colloid and 2) why an effective cage-like conformation of alpha-beta is observed at only 40 and 80 nm gold colloid. Results could lead to the development of highly selective biosensors and have a long term biomedical engineering impact in the areas of cancer treatment and nanomedicine. This project is the preparatory stage for a long-term international research collaboration in which top notch American undergraduates will gain international research experience and be exposed to innovative biomedical engineering technology.